Missing teen hiker makes it home safely

A 17-year-old long-distance runner returned home safely on Thursday after spending a night lost in the woods.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department reported that the teen, whose name was not released, had gone on a 12-mile run on Wednesday night around the area of Knox Mountain Road.

According to Fish and Game Conservation Officer Lt. John Wimsatt, the teen said he was about an hour into his journey when he became disoriented and, as nightfall set in, he realized he was lost. Around 10 p.m., he sat down in a clearing to spend the night.

When he did not return home as expected, family members searched for him and contacted the police.

Conservation officers Michael Eastman and Brad Morse used all-terrain vehicles to search the 40 miles of wooded trails along the Pemigewasset River.

Meanwhile, according to Wimsatt, the teen had started walking again at daylight, and Fish and Game officers located him about three miles from Knox Mountain Road at 5:20 a.m.

Fish and Game officials said he was he was tired and chilled from an overnight thunderstorm, but was uninjured. Sanbornton Police returned him to his home soon after he was found.

"Conservation officers have been busy in recent days with several search-and-rescue missions as the summer arrives," the Fish and Game Department said in a statement. "The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement Division has the statutory responsibility to conduct searches and rescues in the woodlands and freshwaters of the state. They strive to maintain professional services to the public despite continued funding challenges to the department's search-and-rescue budget."